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SAN JOSE, CA. - From the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA, in what many have billed as “UFC vs. Strikeforce”, is UFC on FOX 7. The card is headlined by the return of UFC lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson, as he defends his title against former Strikeforce lightweight champion and UFC newcomer, Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez.  In the evenings co-main event is the Octagon debut of Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner, Daniel Cormier, who is welcomed by former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in a thrilling heavyweight clash. In case you miss the action, MMAConvert was nice enough to provide live results for you:

Main Card on FOX

Lightweight Championship – Champion Ben Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez

• Ben Henderson def. Gilbert Melendez by Decision (split), Retains UFC Lightweight Title

Heavyweight – Frank Mir vs. Daniel Cormier

• Daniel Cormier def. Frank Mir by Decision (unanimous)

Lightweight – Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson

• Josh Thomson def. Nate Diaz by TKO (head kick and punches) Rd. 2, 3:44

Welterweight – Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein

• Matt Brown def. Jordan Mein by TKO (elbows to the body) Rd. 2, 1:00

Preliminary Card on FX

Featherweight – Chad Mendes vs. Darren Elkins

• Chad Mendes def. Darren Elkins by TKO (punches) Rd. 1, 1:08

Middleweight – Francis Carmont vs. Lorenz Larkin

• Francis Carmont def. Lorenz Larkin by Decision (unanimous)

Lightweight – Ramsey Nijem vs. Myles Jury

• Myles Jury def. Ramsey Nijem by KO (punch) Rd. 2, 1:02

Flyweight – Joseph Benavidez vs. Darren Uyenoyama

• Joseph Benavidez def. Darren Uyenoyama by TKO (punches to the body) Rd.2, 4:50

Lightweight – Tim Means vs. Jorge Masvidal

• Jorge Masvidal def. Tim Means by Decision (unanimous)

Bantamweight – T.J. Dillashaw vs. Hugo Viana

•  T.J. Dillashaw def. Hugo Viana by TKO (punches) Rd. 1, 4:22

Preliminary Card on Facebook

Lightweight – Anthony Njokuani vs. Roger Bowling

• Anthony Njokuani def. Roger Bowling by KO (punch) Rd. 2, 2:52

Middleweight - Clifford Starks vs. Yoel Romero

•  Yoel Romero def. Clifford Starks by KO (flying knee and punches) Rd. 1, 1:32

Daniel Cormier and Frank Mir have been relatively cordial with each other, but now that it’s fight week, the verbal jabs have began to fly. The two will put the words aside tonight, as they co-headline UFC on Fox 7.

UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson returns to the Octagon Saturday night, taking on ex-Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez.

The two will collide in the main event of UFC on FOX 7 from San Jose’s HP Pavilion.

In the co-main event Frank Mir welcomes Daniel Cormier to the UFC, while lightweights Nate Diaz and Josh Thomson also square off.

Weigh-ins took place earlier today, and complete results can be found below:

MAIN CARD (FOX)

UFC Lightweight Championship
Benson Henderson (155 lbs.) vs. Gilbert Melendez (154 lbs.) for Henderson’s title

Frank Mir (257 lbs.) vs. Daniel Cormier (235 lbs.)

Nate Diaz (156 lbs.) vs. Josh Thomson (155 lbs.)

Matt Brown (170 lbs.) vs. Jordan Mein (171 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)

Chad Mendes (146 lbs.) vs. Darren Elkins (145 lbs.)

Francis Carmont (186 lbs.) vs. Lorenz Larkin (186 lbs.)

Ramsey Nijem (156 lbs.) vs. Myles Jury (156 lbs.)

Joseph Benavidez (125 lbs.) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (125 lbs.)

Tim Means (156 lbs.) vs. Jorge Masvidal (156 lbs.)

T.J. Dillashaw (136 lbs.) vs. Hugo Viana (135 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FACEBOOK)

Anthony Njokuani (155 lbs.) vs. Roger Bowling (156 lbs.)

Clifford Starks (185.5 lbs.) vs. Yoel Romero (185 lbs.)

The UFC promotes its upcoming event on Fox. The main event will see Gilbert Melendez and Ben Henderson squaring off with Henderson’s lightweight title on the line. We’ll also finally get to see the long awaited match between Frank Mir and Daniel Cormier.

Frank Mir’s been forced to the sidelines numerous times due to injuries or delays in scheduled fights.

So, with almost a year between bouts, does Mir have any troubling thoughts concerning Octagon-rust prior to facing Daniel Cormier later this month.

“No, not really,” said Mir, during a recent conference call. “In the heavyweight division, fights get spread out. Once you climb the ladder, it is harder to find matchups that help you move forward in your career.”

Mir was originally scheduled to face Cormier last year in Strikeforce, but a training injury cancelled the bout – and eventually the card completely. His last fight came early in 2012, when he was defeated by then-UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir has been involved in some wars inside the Octagon, competing against the elite big men in the sport.

Later this month, Mir will return to action against Daniel Cormier, welcoming the ex-Olympian to the UFC at UFC on FOX 7.

While both fighters have had plenty to say about one another in recent months, “DC” does seem to have a strong level of respect for Mir.

“I think there are only a select few individuals who can take the beatings Frank can take and continue to be the way he is,” said Cormier, during a recent conference call.

Mir has called out Cormier for his lack of finishes and quality of opponents in the past, but there is no denying the sudden rise of the heavyweight.

While Mir has the experience and previous championship resume, Cormier is of the new-age heavyweight and will give him everything he can handle.

Daniel Cormier will have 15 minutes inside the Octagon with former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, and he plans to take advantage of each and every second.

The two will collide at UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Melendez later this month. The bout was originally scheduled for last year in Strikeforce, but Mir suffered an injury.

It appears that the transition from Strikeforce to the UFC has provided Cormier with more of a trash-talking game, as he went off on Mir during a recent interview with Bleacher Report.

Mir has stated several times that he doesn’t believe “DC” has finishing power, and the former Olympian is firing back.

To the point of me not being a guy that can finish fights, I’m going to tell you right now and this is 100 percent true-Frank Mir says I can’t finish fights? Okay that’s fine. My intention in this fight is not to finish Frank Mir. I’m going beat up on Frank Mir for 15 minutes and I’m going to make him stay in that cage with me.If Frank Mir gets finished, it will be because he quit. We’ve all seen some of his fights where we’re like ‘what exactly happened there?’. Know that in this one, if he gets finished it will be because he quits. I’m going to make him check out of that fight, I’m not going to do it for him. I’m not going to do it for him. When he wants out of the fight, he’ll get out of the fight. So watch the fight on April 20. If Frank Mir gets finished it’s because he checked out.

Cormier is undefeated, including wins over Josh Barnett and Antonio Silva.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will return to action next month to welcome Daniel Cormier at UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Melendez.

Mir, who was forced to postpone a meeting with “DC” last year, recently talked about the ex-Olympian with MMA Fight Corner, specifically Cormier’s win over Josh Barnett.

“I thought he couldn’t finish Josh because of Josh’s abilities, but then I realized ‘No, he doesn’t really have much finishing ability’. He can catch you with a punch, let’s face it, every heavyweight over 200 pounds has that ability to finish a fight if he catches you. But you got to have the ability to finish with the submission, you know definitive ground and pound where you actually finish somebody off against the cage and it’s menacing, not just finally the referee’s like ‘Well, you know, I guess the guy’s had enough. You really can’t put him away let me help end this fight for you.’”

Mir (16-6) had his three-fight win streak snapped by then-UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos early in 2012. He owns nine career submission wins.

This is an interesting match between fighters, as it is very similar to the early Mir-Brock Lesnar battle. However, Cormier is much more advanced in his training than Lesnar ever was, and should be able to handle Mir.

Frank Mir runs us through the events leading up to his acquisition of The UFC heavyweight title. Mir fought Tim Sylvia who at the time looked unbeatable, but Mir snapped Sylvia’s arm, and rewrote heavyweight history. Oh how times have changed for Mr. Sylvia…

Frank Mir still has it out with Brock Lesnar. While we’ve all made a phallic joke or two about Lesnar’s chest tattoo, Mir takes it to a new level when he suggests he got the tattoo to divert attention from his “boobs”.